Sale reports / Montana / Public Auction Yards / 2023-05-31

Public Auction Yards

Name: Public Auction Yards livestock auction prices — 2023-05-31
Creator: RaisedBeef
Published: 2023-05-31

Feeder Cattle · Slaughter Cattle · Replacement Cattle · Billings, Montana · Wed, May 31

● Final65 lots reportedUSDA AMS · slug 1774

← May 24May 31Jun 7 →

Feeder Cattle receipts

22 head

▼ 120 vs last sale 142▼ 133 vs year ago 155 · −85.8%

Slaughter Cattle receipts

421 head

▼ 228 vs last sale 649▲ 14 vs year ago 407 · +3.4%

Replacement Cattle receipts

1,516 head

▲ 1,254 vs last sale 262▲ 1,251 vs year ago 265 · +472.1%

Also sold hereRegular saleFri Oct 30, 2026

View

Reporter comment USDA

As filed

Compared to last week: Feeder cattle were too lightly tested to develop any market trend. Todays sale featured mostly weigh up cows, pairs and breds, so not trend is available. Weigh up cows sold on good to very good demand for light offerings. Slaughter cows sold 2.00-4.00 higher on all classes. The cow supply across much of the central US continues to tighten as rain has fallen across a wide swath of the country which has eased culling due to drought. Seasonal culling is starting to wrap up as ranchers wrap up spring brandings. Packers were very aggressive as they purchased cows both for immediate harvest and to feed. Feeding cows sold mostly 3.00-5.00 higher as packers purchased very attractive cows for this purpose. Quality this week was average to very attractive. Weigh up conditions were average to above average this week as most offerings have been out on grass. Slaughter bulls sold mostly 2.00-4.00 higher. Young age cows suitable to feed or rebreed sold mostly 10.00 lower. Quality was average to attractive. Fewer takers were seen for this class of cows as many are starting to turn out bulls for summer breeding. Todays pair offering was average to very attractive in quality. Demand for pairs was good to very good with more buyer participation noted compared to the last pair special on 5-10-23. Many comparable sets of pairs sold $100-250 per pair higher than that sale.

Weight class — the figures below change to match

Weight classPick one — the panels below update

Heifers · summary 0–100 lb

Weighted average of every reported lot

0–100 lb heifers averaged $220.80/cwt on 10 head.

Average price

$220.80

10 head · 695 lb average

Value per head Derived

$1,535

Price × average weight ÷ 100

Grade differential Derived

—

single grade reported

vs the market

−11.29

vs MT average

Price by quality 0–100 lb

Frame and muscle grade

Frame / muscle	Avg wt	$/cwt	$/head	Head
Medium and Large 1	695	220.80	1,535	10thin

Only one grade was reported at this weight, so there is no spread to compute.

How it compared 0–100 lb

Same class and week · spot auction only

This sale10 hd

220.80

—

MT average3 barns · 704 hd

232.09

−11.29

A barn can sit above the state average at one weight and below it at another — check the class you actually sell.

Slaughter cattle

By class and quality grade · $/cwt

Cull cows and bulls are graded, not weight-classed — grade is what moves the money here.

Class	Grade	Dressing	Avg wt	$/cwt	$/head	Head
Bulls	—	Low	1,692	124.20	2,101	53
Cows	Breaker 75-80%	Average	1,625	106.76	1,735	30
Cows	Boner 80-85%	Average	1,445	104.45	1,510	124
Cows	Lean 85-90%	Low	1,191	98.38	1,171	130

Replacement cattle Per head

By class, stage and age

Bred stock and pairs are reported per head, not per hundredweight — these prices are never mixed with the $/cwt figures above.

Class	Stage	Age	Avg wt	$/head	Head
Bred Cows	3rd Stage (7-9 mo)	Young (2-4 yrs)	1,151	$1,760	20
Bred Cows	3rd Stage (7-9 mo)	Middle Aged (5-8 yrs)	1,332	$1,547	6
Bred Cows	3rd Stage (7-9 mo)	Middle Aged/Aged (>5 yrs)	1,486	$1,547	15
Bred Cows	2nd Stage (4-6 mo)	Young (2-4 yrs)	1,262	$1,373	8
Cow-Calf Pairs	Open	Young (2-4 yrs)	1,182	$2,688	148
Cow-Calf Pairs	Open	Middle Aged (5-8 yrs)	1,527	$2,612	103
Cow-Calf Pairs	Open	Young/Middle Aged (2-8 yrs)	1,303	$2,491	37
Cow-Calf Pairs	Open	Middle Aged/Aged (>5 yrs)	1,602	$2,348	71
Cow-Calf Pairs	Open	Aged (>8 yrs)	1,422	$1,939	136
Heifer Pairs	Open	(<2 yrs)	1,253	$3,152	109

Every lot

65 lots · USDA AMS · Public Auction Yards Livestock Cattle Auction - Billings, MT (Wed)

Nothing removed and nothing rounded — the same lots as the USDA report, with per-head values added. Grouped by class and set lightest first; USDA files them in sale-ring order.

Class	Weight	Grade / description	Avg wt	Price	Range	Per head	Head
Feeder Cattle · Heifers2 lots · lightest first
Heifers	—	Medium and Large 1	653	237.00/cwt	237.00–237.00	1,548	4
Heifers	—	Medium and Large 1	723	210.00/cwt	210.00–210.00	1,518	6
Feeder Cattle · Bulls2 lots · lightest first
Bulls	—	Medium and Large 1	955	161.00/cwt	161.00–161.00	1,538	1
Bulls	—	Large 1	1,270	131.00/cwt	131.00–131.00	1,664	1
Slaughter Cattle · Bulls9 lots · lightest first
Bulls	—	—Light Weight	1,360	99.00/cwt	99.00–99.00	1,346	1
Bulls	—	—Natural	1,413	103.00/cwt	103.00–103.00	1,455	2
Bulls	—	—Return to Feed	1,469	121.47/cwt	112.00–129.00	1,784	18
Bulls	—	—	1,611	111.18/cwt	108.00–114.00	1,791	4
Bulls	—	—	1,838	124.55/cwt	121.00–129.00	2,289	9
Bulls	—	—Natural	1,863	122.89/cwt	117.00–128.00	2,289	2
Bulls	—	—Natural	1,879	134.19/cwt	133.00–135.00	2,521	10
Bulls	—	—	1,914	132.78/cwt	129.00–138.00	2,541	4
Bulls	—	—Return to Feed	1,963	135.50/cwt	135.50–135.50	2,660	3
Slaughter Cattle · Cows20 lots · lightest first
Cows	—	Lean 85-90%Light Weight	820	83.67/cwt	82.00–85.00	686	3
Cows	—	Lean 85-90%Light Weight	985	93.00/cwt	93.00–93.00	916	1
Cows	—	Lean 85-90%Return to Feed	1,045	90.00/cwt	90.00–90.00	941	1
Cows	—	Lean 85-90%	1,050	71.00/cwt	71.00–71.00	746	2
Cows	—	Lean 85-90%	1,135	86.09/cwt	80.00–91.00	977	10
Cows	—	Lean 85-90%Return to Feed	1,143	97.50/cwt	95.00–102.00	1,114	13
Cows	—	Lean 85-90%Return to Feed	1,186	106.61/cwt	105.00–111.00	1,264	15
Cows	—	Lean 85-90%	1,218	97.20/cwt	93.00–103.00	1,184	61
Cows	—	Lean 85-90%	1,245	106.52/cwt	104.50–111.00	1,326	24
Cows	—	Boner 80-85%	1,402	100.64/cwt	97.00–104.50	1,411	22
Cows	—	Boner 80-85%Return to Feed	1,417	102.59/cwt	97.50–106.00	1,454	23
Cows	—	Boner 80-85%	1,420	107.02/cwt	105.00–114.00	1,520	20
Cows	—	Boner 80-85%	1,431	94.10/cwt	92.00–96.00	1,347	9
Cows	—	Boner 80-85%Return to Feed	1,490	107.81/cwt	106.00–110.00	1,606	50
Cows	—	Breaker 75-80%Return to Feed	1,510	108.00/cwt	108.00–108.00	1,631	1
Cows	—	Breaker 75-80%Return to Feed	1,537	102.50/cwt	102.50–102.50	1,575	5
Cows	—	Breaker 75-80%Return to Feed	1,570	109.67/cwt	108.50–110.50	1,722	12
Cows	—	Breaker 75-80%	1,572	110.81/cwt	110.00–112.00	1,742	3
Cows	—	Breaker 75-80%	1,766	104.62/cwt	103.50–106.50	1,848	8
Cows	—	Breaker 75-80%	1,860	97.00/cwt	97.00–97.00	1,804	1
Replacement Cattle · Cow-Calf Pairs15 lots · lightest first
Cow-Calf Pairs	—	Medium 1	1,003	2,550.00/head	2,550.00–2,550.00	2,550	25
Cow-Calf Pairs	—	Medium and Large 1	1,119	2,600.00/head	2,600.00–2,600.00	2,600	32
Cow-Calf Pairs	—	Medium and Large 1Thin Fleshed	1,232	2,650.00/head	2,650.00–2,650.00	2,650	22
Cow-Calf Pairs	—	Medium and Large 1	1,244	2,828.90/head	2,700.00–3,000.00	2,829	64
Cow-Calf Pairs	—	Medium and Large 1Thin Fleshed	1,274	2,485.00/head	2,485.00–2,485.00	2,485	21
Cow-Calf Pairs	—	Medium and Large 1Broken Mouth	1,330	1,850.00/head	1,850.00–1,850.00	1,850	18
Cow-Calf Pairs	—	Medium and Large 1-2	1,340	2,500.00/head	2,500.00–2,500.00	2,500	16
Cow-Calf Pairs	—	Medium and Large 1-2	1,350	1,875.00/head	1,875.00–1,875.00	1,875	2
Cow-Calf Pairs	—	Medium and Large 1-2Broken Mouth	1,379	1,764.18/head	1,725.00–1,800.00	1,764	13
Cow-Calf Pairs	—	Large 1Broken Mouth	1,407	1,775.00/head	1,775.00–1,775.00	1,775	15
Cow-Calf Pairs	—	Medium and Large 1-2	1,448	2,102.59/head	1,600.00–2,350.00	2,103	12
Cow-Calf Pairs	—	Medium and Large 1Broken Mouth	1,449	2,008.97/head	1,900.00–2,175.00	2,009	90
Cow-Calf Pairs	—	Medium and Large 1-2	1,457	2,305.90/head	2,100.00–2,400.00	2,306	5
Cow-Calf Pairs	—	Medium and Large 1	1,537	2,678.98/head	2,400.00–2,900.00	2,679	91
Cow-Calf Pairs	—	Medium and Large 1	1,609	2,361.27/head	2,125.00–2,485.00	2,361	69
Replacement Cattle · Bred Cows9 lots · lightest first
Bred Cows	—	Medium and Large 1	1,146	1,823.96/head	1,700.00–1,850.00	1,824	17
Bred Cows	—	Medium and Large 1-2	1,177	1,400.00/head	1,400.00–1,400.00	1,400	3
Bred Cows	—	Medium and Large 1	1,262	1,373.32/head	1,300.00–1,450.00	1,373	8
Bred Cows	—	Medium and Large 1	1,288	124.65/cwt	123.00–129.00	1,605	3
Bred Cows	—	Medium and Large 1	1,290	106.00/cwt	106.00–106.00	1,367	1
Bred Cows	—	Medium and Large 1	1,332	1,547.48/head	1,500.00–1,625.00	1,547	6
Bred Cows	—	Medium and Large 1	1,388	105.74/cwt	100.00–110.00	1,468	3
Bred Cows	—	Medium and Large 1	1,486	1,547.41/head	1,435.00–1,610.00	1,547	15
Bred Cows	—	Medium and Large 1Broken Mouth	1,505	108.00/cwt	108.00–108.00	1,625	1
Replacement Cattle · Heifer Pairs2 lots · lightest first
Heifer Pairs	—	Medium and Large 1	1,066	2,534.19/head	2,500.00–2,600.00	2,534	9
Heifer Pairs	—	Medium and Large 1	1,270	3,208.07/head	2,700.00–3,350.00	3,208	100
Replacement Cattle · Stock Cows6 lots · lightest first
Stock Cows	—	Medium 1	800	125.99/cwt	120.00–130.00	1,008	6
Stock Cows	—	Medium and Large 1	1,016	147.04/cwt	122.00–171.00	1,494	34
Stock Cows	—	Large 1	1,025	116.00/cwt	116.00–116.00	1,189	1
Stock Cows	—	Large 1	1,064	117.00/cwt	117.00–117.00	1,245	4
Stock Cows	—	Medium and Large 1	1,120	119.80/cwt	106.00–142.00	1,342	48
Stock Cows	—	Medium and Large 1	1,305	104.00/cwt	104.00–104.00	1,357	1

This sale against other markets

Montana weighted averages

One sale is one barn on one day. The state ladder is every Montana auction USDA reported that week, weighted by head — the fairer test of whether a lot sold well.

Montana feeder prices, every weight →Every state and region →

Public Auction Yards Livestock Cattle Auction - Billings, MT (Wed)

Wed May 31, 2023

USDA Livestock, Poultry & Grain Market News · Federal-State Market News Service, Billings, MT (LS-BL)

Feeder CattleReceipts 22Last week 142Year ago 155

Slaughter CattleReceipts 421Last week 649Year ago 407

Replacement CattleReceipts 1,516Last week 262Year ago 265

Replacement Cattle

As reported

Age	Stage	Head	Wt range	Avg wt	Price range	Avg price
Cow-Calf Pairs — Medium and Large 1$ per head · actual wt
Middle Aged/Aged (>5 yrs)	Open	69	—	1,609	2,125.00–2,485.00	2,361.27
Young (2-4 yrs)	Open	32	—	1,119	2,600.00	2,600.00
Middle Aged (5-8 yrs)	Open	91	—	1,537	2,400.00–2,900.00	2,678.98
Young (2-4 yrs)	Open	64	—	1,244	2,700.00–3,000.00	2,828.90

Age	Stage	Head	Wt range	Avg wt	Price range	Avg price
Cow-Calf Pairs — Medium and Large 1-2$ per head · actual wt
Young/Middle Aged (2-8 yrs)	Open	16	—	1,340	2,500.00	2,500.00
Young (2-4 yrs)	Open	5	—	1,457	2,100.00–2,400.00	2,305.90
Middle Aged (5-8 yrs)	Open	12	—	1,448	1,600.00–2,350.00	2,102.59
Middle Aged/Aged (>5 yrs)	Open	2	—	1,350	1,875.00	1,875.00

Age	Stage	Head	Wt range	Avg wt	Price range	Avg price
Cow-Calf Pairs — Medium and Large 1 · Broken Mouth$ per head · actual wt
Aged (>8 yrs)	Open	18	—	1,330	1,850.00	1,850.00
Aged (>8 yrs)	Open	90	—	1,449	1,900.00–2,175.00	2,008.97

Age	Stage	Head	Wt range	Avg wt	Price range	Avg price
Cow-Calf Pairs — Medium and Large 1-2 · Broken Mouth$ per head · actual wt
Aged (>8 yrs)	Open	13	—	1,379	1,725.00–1,800.00	1,764.18

Age	Stage	Head	Wt range	Avg wt	Price range	Avg price
Cow-Calf Pairs — Large 1 · Broken Mouth$ per head · actual wt
Aged (>8 yrs)	Open	15	—	1,407	1,775.00	1,775.00

Age	Stage	Head	Wt range	Avg wt	Price range	Avg price
Cow-Calf Pairs — Medium and Large 1 · Thin Fleshed$ per head · actual wt
Young/Middle Aged (2-8 yrs)	Open	21	—	1,274	2,485.00	2,485.00
Young (2-4 yrs)	Open	22	—	1,232	2,650.00	2,650.00

Age	Stage	Head	Wt range	Avg wt	Price range	Avg price
Cow-Calf Pairs — Medium 1$ per head · actual wt
Young (2-4 yrs)	Open	25	—	1,003	2,550.00	2,550.00

Age	Stage	Head	Wt range	Avg wt	Price range	Avg price
Bred Cows — Medium and Large 1$ per cwt · actual wt
Middle Aged/Aged (>5 yrs)	3rd Stage (7-9 mo)	1	—	1,290	106.00	106.00
Young (2-4 yrs)	3rd Stage (7-9 mo)	3	—	1,288	123.00–129.00	124.65
Middle Aged/Aged (>5 yrs)	2nd Stage (4-6 mo)	3	—	1,388	100.00–110.00	105.74
Young (2-4 yrs)	2nd Stage (4-6 mo)	8	—	1,262	1,300.00–1,450.00	1,373.32
Middle Aged/Aged (>5 yrs)	3rd Stage (7-9 mo)	15	—	1,486	1,435.00–1,610.00	1,547.41
Middle Aged (5-8 yrs)	3rd Stage (7-9 mo)	6	—	1,332	1,500.00–1,625.00	1,547.48
Young (2-4 yrs)	3rd Stage (7-9 mo)	17	—	1,146	1,700.00–1,850.00	1,823.96

Age	Stage	Head	Wt range	Avg wt	Price range	Avg price
Bred Cows — Medium and Large 1 · Broken Mouth$ per cwt · actual wt
Aged (>8 yrs)	3rd Stage (7-9 mo)	1	—	1,505	108.00	108.00

Age	Stage	Head	Wt range	Avg wt	Price range	Avg price
Bred Cows — Medium and Large 1-2$ per head · actual wt
Young (2-4 yrs)	3rd Stage (7-9 mo)	3	—	1,177	1,400.00	1,400.00

Age	Stage	Head	Wt range	Avg wt	Price range	Avg price
Heifer Pairs — Medium and Large 1$ per head · actual wt
(<2 yrs)	Open	100	—	1,270	2,700.00–3,350.00	3,208.07
(<2 yrs)	Open	9	—	1,066	2,500.00–2,600.00	2,534.19

Age	Stage	Head	Wt range	Avg wt	Price range	Avg price
Stock Cows — Medium and Large 1$ per cwt · actual wt
Young/Middle Aged (2-8 yrs)	Open	1	—	1,305	104.00	104.00
Young (2-4 yrs)	Open	48	—	1,120	106.00–142.00	119.80
(<2 yrs)	Open	34	—	1,016	122.00–171.00	147.04

Age	Stage	Head	Wt range	Avg wt	Price range	Avg price
Stock Cows — Large 1$ per cwt · actual wt
Young (2-4 yrs)	Open	1	—	1,025	116.00	116.00
(<2 yrs)	Open	4	—	1,064	117.00	117.00

Age	Stage	Head	Wt range	Avg wt	Price range	Avg price
Stock Cows — Medium 1$ per cwt · actual wt
(<2 yrs)	Open	6	—	800	120.00–130.00	125.99

Feeder Cattle

As reported

Head	Wt range	Avg wt	Price range	Avg price
Heifers — Medium and Large 1$ per cwt · actual wt
6	—	723	210.00	210.00
4	—	653	237.00	237.00

Head	Wt range	Avg wt	Price range	Avg price
Bulls — Large 1$ per cwt · actual wt
1	—	1,270	131.00	131.00

Head	Wt range	Avg wt	Price range	Avg price
Bulls — Medium and Large 1$ per cwt · actual wt
1	—	955	161.00	161.00

Slaughter Cattle

As reported

Head	Wt range	Avg wt	Price range	Avg price
Cows — Lean 85-90% · Return to Feed$ per cwt · actual wt
1	—	1,045	90.00	90.00
15	—	1,186	105.00–111.00	106.61
13	—	1,143	95.00–102.00	97.50

Head	Wt range	Avg wt	Price range	Avg price
Cows — Breaker 75-80% · Return to Feed$ per cwt · actual wt
1	—	1,510	108.00	108.00
12	—	1,570	108.50–110.50	109.67
5	—	1,537	102.50	102.50

Head	Wt range	Avg wt	Price range	Avg price
Cows — Breaker 75-80%$ per cwt · actual wt
8	—	1,766	103.50–106.50	104.62
1	—	1,860	97.00	97.00
3	—	1,572	110.00–112.00	110.81

Head	Wt range	Avg wt	Price range	Avg price
Cows — Boner 80-85%$ per cwt · actual wt
22	—	1,402	97.00–104.50	100.64
9	—	1,431	92.00–96.00	94.10
20	—	1,420	105.00–114.00	107.02

Head	Wt range	Avg wt	Price range	Avg price
Cows — Lean 85-90%$ per cwt · actual wt
2	—	1,050	71.00	71.00
24	—	1,245	104.50–111.00	106.52
61	—	1,218	93.00–103.00	97.20
10	—	1,135	80.00–91.00	86.09

Head	Wt range	Avg wt	Price range	Avg price
Cows — Boner 80-85% · Return to Feed$ per cwt · actual wt
23	—	1,417	97.50–106.00	102.59
50	—	1,490	106.00–110.00	107.81

Head	Wt range	Avg wt	Price range	Avg price
Cows — Lean 85-90% · Light Weight$ per cwt · actual wt
1	—	985	93.00	93.00
3	—	820	82.00–85.00	83.67

Head	Wt range	Avg wt	Price range	Avg price
Bulls$ per cwt · actual wt
4	—	1,611	108.00–114.00	111.18
4	—	1,914	129.00–138.00	132.78
9	—	1,838	121.00–129.00	124.55

Head	Wt range	Avg wt	Price range	Avg price
Bulls — Natural$ per cwt · actual wt
2	—	1,413	103.00	103.00
2	—	1,863	117.00–128.00	122.89
10	—	1,879	133.00–135.00	134.19

Head	Wt range	Avg wt	Price range	Avg price
Bulls — Light Weight$ per cwt · actual wt
1	—	1,360	99.00	99.00

Head	Wt range	Avg wt	Price range	Avg price
Bulls — Return to Feed$ per cwt · actual wt
3	—	1,963	135.50	135.50
18	—	1,469	112.00–129.00	121.47

Head, weight ranges, average weights and price ranges are exactly as USDA AMS filed them — nothing recomputed, nothing rounded — in USDA's own reporting structure. This is RaisedBeef's rendering of that data, not a copy of USDA's document.